Coffee Beans and Jenga Pieces
by firefly
Summary: Funny how it’ll take moments of paralyzing terror, missing coffee beans, and Hasbro games to make Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro realize how much they love each other, ne? Ch.2: Kankuro explains porn to Gaara and sibling love is realized.
1. Igu Igu Beans

Coffee Beans and Jenga Pieces Ch.1

By: firefly

Note: Ha ha, guess what? After doing "Obscured Apathy", I developed an affinity for Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro fics! This time, I was wondering how Gaara manages to stay awake_all night_and _every day_. This funny lil' idea popped into my head as a result. I think it'll be two chapters, though. Anyway, I don't own Naruto! Enjoy, and please leave a review. Have a nice day!

* * *

It was a day like any other for the Sand siblings, who went by the names of Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara.

Temari, the oldest and a girl, was the somewhat cruel yet caring caretaker of the little family. Kankuro, the second oldest and a boy, was a regular, moping teenager with too much face paint.

And Gaara, the baby of the family…a mentally deranged boy, who loved to kill people and was secretly partial to chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

It was no surprise that Temari and Kankuro feared their little brother; so sadly, the family was NOT a closely-knit one, as we would have liked.

Brotherly and sisterly love was a no-no, so each day passed as 24 hours of painful, loveless time.

But not this day…

This day, they would learn the meaning of family.

Funny how it'll take moments of paralyzing terror, missing coffee beans, and Hasbro© games to make them realize how much they love each other, ne?

**Coffee Beans and Jenga Pieces**

Kankuro swore as he dove under the table, barely managing to dodge the dinner plate that smashed against the wall. Gasping, he rolled out of the way when a fork flew at him, soon followed by a spatula.

"Temari!" He yelled, holding a tin tray over his head as his sister continued to pelt things at him. "Would you stop! I didn't mean it!"

"You bastard!" She shrieked at him, as he feebly crawled out from under the table. "You dare to tell me my food tastes like crap! I don't ever see _you_ cooking!"

"I said I didn't mean it," he whined, wincing as she glared at him.

"You know what Kankuro? There's no need to apologize!" Temari said shakily. She pulled off her apron and threw it in his face.

"You can cook from now on, and I'll see how you like it!"

"Come on, Temari!" Kankuro called as she stormed out of the kitchen. Groaning in exasperation, he left the kitchen and hesitantly poked his head into the living room.

"Temari," he said weakly, when she turned her back to him. "Don't get mad. You know how Gaara gets annoyed when you start screaming…"

This apparently wasn't the right thing to say, because Temari stiffened and slowly turned, her right eye twitching horribly.

"Oh…" She said in a voice of forced calm. "I'll annoy Gaara…? Well, I'm _sorrrrry_, Kankuro. It seems like this is all my fault."

"You know that's not what I meant," Kankuro mumbled, as he lowered his gaze to the floor. "Just stop, okay? I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence, in which Kankuro stood there awkwardly as Temari gaped at him.

"D-Did you just…apologize?" She asked incredulously after a few seconds.

She blinked in surprise as he shrugged and shuffled past her, desperately trying to avoid a moment of understanding and compromise.

"Kankuro?" she said in slight concern as she turned to see him leaving.

"Whatever," he mumbled quietly as he ascended the stairs, shoulders slumping as he tucked his hands into his pockets. He disappeared over the top step and shuffled towards his room, closing the door behind him.

Temari sighed and cast a regretful glance at the stairs before she trudged back to the kitchen, sighing again when she saw the mess she had made in her fury.

"Forget it," Temari said aloud after a few seconds. "I'm going to bed."

Turning, she gasped in surprise and stumbled back, tripping over the fallen spatula and landing rear first in a bulging bag of food scraps. Gaara was staring at her, looking visibly annoyed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Temari grimaced, feeling the rotten food slime up her behind and thighs.

"Ugh…" she groaned in disgust when she stood, and she felt some remnants drip off and land against the floor with gross _splooching_ sounds.

Guiltily, she raised her gaze to Gaara and flinched when she saw him frown.

"You were being loud," he said bluntly, and she just nodded in response, paying no attention to her soiled clothes.

"I don't like it when you're loud. It's annoying."

"S-Sorry," she said, wincing as his eyes narrowed. "It won't happen again, Gaara…"

"…why were you screaming?"

Temari blinked in slight surprise, raising her head. Normally, Gaara would just threaten her and go on his merry way. Never had he questioned his sibling's behaviour.

"Uh…Kankuro and I had a fight," she said hesitantly as his eyes wandered the havoc in the kitchen. He turned his gaze back to her, and suddenly glared. Temari gasped when he took as step forward.

"Don't do it again," he said, a hint of warning in his voice.

Temari bobbed her head earnestly, trying not to sigh in relief. Suddenly, Gaara stepped over the discarded tin tray and walked towards the cutlery drawer as Temari watched anxiously.

_He's not going for a weapon, is he?_ She questioned herself in a panic as he started rummaging through the utensils.

She blinked when he pulled out a spoon and walked over to the fridge. Without a backwards glance, he opened the freezer door and dug out a box of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, which he tucked under his arm.

Turning, he glanced at Temari, looking her up and down, wrinkling his nose slightly as more slop dripped off her.

"You smell," he said tonelessly.

Then he left.

* * *

Fortunately, Temari had changed her mind and decided to clean the kitchen before she trudged upstairs and took a shower, taking more than half an hour to wash the stink of old food off of her.

She was feeling frustrated, because a part of her was continuously reminding her that she had been too hard on Kankuro, whereas she still felt angry for his degradation of her cooking.

_Well_…she thought somewhat sadly as she headed to her room, glancing at her brothers' closed doors.

_At least I smell good now._

Sighing, she closed her door behind her and retreated to her bed. Drawing the blanket tightly around her, she pulled out a frame from her bedside drawer. Staring wistfully at the picture of the three of them, she tucked it under her pillow and fell asleep.

* * *

In the other room, Kankuro was also sleeping, drooling a little as his subconscious mind wandered to what he had hidden under _his _pillow. Chortling a little in his sleep, the puppet master flopped onto his stomach.

If Temari ever found out about this hidden thing under his pillow…well, sometimes he shuddered to think.

If Gaara ever found out about this hidden thing under his pillow…well, that would be really weird.

* * *

And finally, in the last room, Gaara sat on his bed, leaning against the headboard as he contentedly ate his chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. It was the only sweet thing he cared for, and a whole carton would be especially reserved for him.

It had to be available at all times.

_Or else_…he thought grimly as he licked the last morsel off the spoon. _There'd be hell to pay…_

Throwing the empty carton to the floor, he got to his feet and wandered over to his desk, looking at the 1000 piece puzzle that was yet to be completed. This one was of St. Basil's cathedral in Moscow, and it was half done.

Those who wondered what Gaara did all night while others slept…this was it.

He completed enormous jigsaw puzzles, which Temari would frame and hang all over the house. It made the house look pretty, and it kept Gaara occupied during those long lonely hours.

What? Did you think he stared at the wall all night?

Nah.

Sitting at the desk, he leaned over the puzzle pieces and started fitting them together. Strangely enough, he was making amazing progress and was so intent on finishing the puzzle that he didn't notice the clock strike 1:00 AM.

The realization came when his head started to feel unbearably heavy, and his forehead almost collided with the desk. Dropping a puzzle piece in surprise, he forced his eyes open and glanced at the clock.

He was more than an hour late in taking his nightly doses.

We're talking about doses of CAFFEINE here. No, this isn't the normal coffee you buy at the grocery store. This isn't even the hardcore espresso those university students and CEO's order from catalogues.

This was a forbidden coffee bean found only on the Brazilian Pacaraima Mountains, located 9000 feet above the ground, where no men dared venture.

…Except for a few Brazilian ninjas who obtained the coffee beans for uses in biological warfare.

Now these beans, called Igu Igu beans, were pitch black in colour, and meant a slow painful death to anyone who ate them. One bean was the equivalent of 673 shots of deluxe espresso, and the shock of the caffeine rush would result in convulsions and the explosion of the cerebellum in the brain.

It would kill anyone.

Anyone…but Gaara, that is.

Fortunately for the Sand-Nin, Shukaku provided the physical endurance needed for such a lethal coffee concoction, and it was the only thing that truly prevented Gaara from falling asleep and letting Shukaku wreak happy havoc.

One bean a night was the prescription, and was to be taken at midnight every day.

But it was 1:45 AM now, and Gaara could already feel the withdrawal symptoms. Moving to stand, he noticed with a silent curse that his body felt like lead. Stumbling out of his chair, he leaned against the wall as he slowly made his way out of his room and down the stairs.

He paused frequently, blinking as his vision dissolved temporarily into a haze of colours.

16.3 minutes later, he found himself in the kitchen. He threw open the cabinet above the exhaust fan, reaching for the tin can that contained the beans.

His eyes widened when he felt his fingers grasp at air, and for a moment he just stood there, feeling the empty space with his fingers.

A cold bead of sweat dripped down his neck as looked into the cabinet, staring in horror at the empty space next to the box of sugar. He pushed aside the sugar, and then started throwing things behind him, looking desperately for the tin can.

Another wave of dizziness hit him, and he collapsed against the counter, the cool surface slapping the drowsiness from him. Struggling towards the medicine cabinet, he knocked aside Temari's PMS medicine and Kankuro's Metamucil, only to see that it wasn't there.

"Where…?" He gasped as he slumped against the counter again, recalling Temari and Kankuro's fight with another thrill of horror. Temari must have grabbed his coffee and thrown it at Kankuro.

_Oh shit_.

Lurching away from the counter, he stumbled out of the kitchen and hurled himself at the stairs, climbing with whatever energy he had left. He had to pause between steps to blink away the fogginess in his vision as his mind whirled.

It seemed like an eternity before he ascended the last stair, and gasping in effort, he stood up in the hallway. His head was pounding, and every step felt like a step closer to heaven, as Temari's door loomed ahead, so close but yet so far.

Breathing hard as another bead of sweat dripped over his brow, Gaara summoned whatever power he had left inside him and threw himself at Temari's door.

* * *

Temari was frowning in her sleep. She was having a strange dream in which she was in a fairy world, looking for a legendary Satyr named Kazekage with her dwarf companion, Kankuro, and pixie guide, Gaara.

Gaara was fluttering around her head and was pulling her hair, wearing the cutest arrangement of maple leaves and his gourd strapped on his back.

"Kankuro," she whined as she ducked her head. "Tell him to stop…"

Kankuro was stuffing his face with dirt, and then walked the other way and disappeared into the bushes.

"Kankuro!" She called in surprise, and then yelped when pixie Gaara yanked on her hair again.

"Would you stop it!"

Turning away from him in a huff, she stood there for a few seconds, wondering what the hell she was doing in such a messed up dream when Gaara suddenly took off his gourd and threw it at the back of her head.

"Ah!" She gasped in surprise when she woke and sat up abruptly, the sound of her door bursting open startling her.

Gaara stumbled in, staggering like a drunk as he leaned against her dresser, raising his head to choke out two words as Temari stood up in alarm.

"_Need_…" he choked out. "…_coffee_!"

Abruptly, he went still, and his hand slipped off her dresser when he suddenly passed out, falling to the floor with a thump.

"Gaara!" Temari cried as she rushed to his side, staring in horror at him lying face down on the floor.

Grabbing him, she turned him over and realized with a cold wave of dread that he was doing the last thing anybody wanted him to do.

_He was asleep._

"_KANKURO_!" Temari screamed at the top of her lungs as she pulled Gaara's head into her lap. "_WAKE UP_!"

There was a sound of a distant crash in the other room and a muffled curse. A sudden thump told Temari that he had fallen out of his bed, but he ran into the hallway a few seconds later, skidding into her room wearing only his robe over his happy face boxers.

"What happened?" He yelled as he burst in, looking down at Temari frantically slapping Gaara's cheeks.

"He's asleep!" Temari cried, as all the colour drained from Kankuro's face. "He's out cold!"

"Oh my God!" Kankuro gasped, slapping his hands to his face in horror. "We're gonna die!"

"He needs his coffee," Temari said as she heaved her unconscious brother to his feet, letting Kankuro sling him over his shoulder. "We have to find it!"

Kankuro nodded nervously as she shot out of her room and practically jumped the stairs, with Kankuro struggling after her.

Dumping Gaara unceremoniously against the sofa, Kankuro frantically tried to wake him as Temari tore the kitchen apart, looking for the missing tin can.

"Aauugghhh!" Kankuro's yell of alarm came from the living room. "Hurry, Temari! He's starting to go veiny!"

Swearing in her blind panic, Temari knelt to look under the table. She almost fainted with relief when she saw the can of Igu Igu beans lying on its side. Straining her arm, she reached for it and grabbed it.

Jumping to her feet, she yanked off the lid and pulled out one bean, crushing it in her fist before she dumped it in a cup. She quickly filled it with water before rushing into the living room.

Kankuro grabbed Gaara's jaw and opened his mouth, grimacing when he noticed the elongating fangs.

Wasting no time, Temari knelt before him and tilted his head forward. She tipped the coffee down his throat as Kankuro prostrated himself on the floor and prayed for entrance into Heaven if he died.

Temari dropped the cup as the last of the drops disappeared into Gaara's mouth, and Kankuro slowly stood up.

Seconds passed as they both stood there, petrified.

Then Gaara's eyes suddenly opened.

Temari screamed.

Kankuro swore.

Gaara's hand shot out and he grabbed Kankuro by his robe and threw him over the sofa, his now yellow eyes glowing evilly as he sat up.

Temari scrambled back on her hands and feet and stared, wide-eyed, as Gaara's hand came to his head, and he blinked. The Igu Igu beans started to work their magic, and Shukaku had no choice but to withdraw from the supreme caffeine powers.

Slowly, the varicose veins disappeared and he blinked away the yellow from his eyes.

"Kankuro?" Temari squeaked over her shoulder as Gaara raised his head and looked around in confusion. "I think he's okay…"

The puppet master slowly peeked over the top of the sofa, eyes staring fearfully at the innocent looking red head sitting on the sofa, looking ever so confused.

"Okay…?" Kankuro whimpered in rage, as he slowly stood, his hand rising to point shakily at his demonic brother. "He tried to kill me!"

"It's not his fault," Temari said, trembling a bit as she stood, her cautious gaze still on Gaara.

"Temari?" Gaara questioned, sounding somewhat dazed. "What happened?"

"N-Nothing Gaara," she answered, too relieved to notice Kankuro's fury as he advanced towards Gaara. "You just needed to take your coffee."

"HE DOESN'T NEED COFFEE!" Kankuro suddenly screamed hysterically, turning to face Temari. "HE NEEDS A FREAKIN' EXORCIST!"

"Kankuro!" Temari gasped, as Gaara turned his gaze on him, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Shut up," Gaara said quietly, glaring poison at Kankuro. "My head hurts."

Kankuro could only mouth wordlessly like a fish out of water as Temari dragged him out of the living room.

"Have you lost your mind?" She hissed, pushing him against the wall. "Do you _want_ to die?"

"You're taking _his_ side?" Kankuro hissed back with equal vehemence. "You know that he wouldn't hesitate to kill either of us!"

"Don't start this now," Temari warned, casting a paranoid glance over her shoulder. "He might hear you."

"I don't care anymore, Temari!"

"…you know you love him."

Kankuro just stared at her, his mouth agape for a few seconds.

"…the hell?"

"Shut up. Teenage boys are so retarded!" Temari sighed, giving him a knowing glare. "You act like you don't care about him, but I know you better than that. He's your brother, and no matter how many times he threatens to kill you, you'll still love him."

"That…" Kankuro said blankly. "Is the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"Only because you're too stupid to understand!" Temari growled, before grabbing his arm and steering him back into the living room.

Gaara was still sitting there, and for a moment, the three of them just stared at each other.

"Um…" Temari started, trying to break the eerie silence. "I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep…"

"Me neither," Kankuro grumbled, crossing his arms.

"…" Gaara just stared, looking like a subdued little raccoon with his tousled hair and black-rimmed eyes.

"Hey," Temari suddenly offered with a weak smile. "Why don't we just play some board games or something? You know…to pass the time?"

"Whatever," Kankuro shrugged.

"…" Gaara still stared…and still looked like a subdued raccoon.

"Okay then!" Temari said brightly, happy to spend some quality family time with her brothers. "I'll get them. They're in your room, right Kankuro?"

He just nodded tiredly in response.

"I'll be back in a sec," Temari said as she left, leaving her brothers in the living room, ALONE.

Kankuro slowly lowered his behind to the floor, keeping his cautious gaze on the subdued human raccoon that was Gaara.

"So…" Kankuro said, wincing at the unbearable silence. "Uh…what's your favourite game, Gaara?"

Gaara slowly turned his head to stare at him, and Kankuro tried not to recoil as Gaara smiled, rather psychotically.

"Operation."

A bead of sweat dripped down Kankuro's neck.

"O-Oh…t-that's cool, Gaara. Heh…yeah," he stammered, trying not to sigh in relief as Temari's footsteps approached.

Turning, Kankuro looked up and saw what she was holding amongst the pile of games.

The world fell away beneath him.

"I…that…Temari…!" He gasped, as Temari dropped the games to the table and gave him a glare that would have melted lead.

"What…" she whispered, her voice laced with venom as she raised the object. "…is this _thing_ doing in our house?"

_It must have fallen from beneath my pillow when…_

"Oh shit," Kankuro said in a small voice as Temari threw it down on the table and let hell loose.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" She shrieked, too incensed to worry about Gaara's headache. "Hiding porno magazines in your room!"

Kankuro just cowered under her rage as Temari fumed with disgust, and although she was shrieking, Gaara wasn't angry at all.

On the contrary, he now looked like an inquisitive little raccoon as he glanced between the two of them, looking slightly intrigued.

"What's porno?" He asked curiously.


	2. Iron, Top Hat, Race Car

Coffee Beans and Jenga Beans Ch.2

By: firefly

Note: Yay, back with chapter 2! Thanx a lot to all those who reviewed. I LOVE you people! Anyway, this'll probably be the last chapter, so I hope you guys like it. I included a couple of old school games in here some people may recognize. Anyway, enjoy, and please leave a review! Thanx, have a nice day.

**Coffee Beans and Jenga Pieces**

"What's porno?" Gaara asked curiously.

Temari froze in mid-rant and Kankuro paled as they both slowly turned to look at their demonic brother. Gaara looked at them expectantly as they just stared at him, speechless.

Simultaneously, one thought clicked in Temari and Kankuro's heads.

"Oh shit," Kankuro whimpered again as Temari turned her furious gaze back to him.

"This is all your freakin' fault!" She screeched, hitting him upside the head. "If you hadn't brought this stupid thing into the house then we'd never have to explain this to him!"

"He's twelve years old!" Kankuro cried in defense, recoiling from her. "It's about time he learned!"

"Not like this!" Temari shrieked, gesturing wildly to the magazine on the table.

They both looked down at it at the same time, only to realize that it wasn't there.

"What the hell?" Kankuro said blankly. "Where'd it…"

The world fell away beneath BOTH of them.

They both whirled around to see Gaara picking up the magazine, brow furrowed in intrigue as he parted the covers.

"NOOO!" Temari screamed, leaping over the table, diving and tearing the magazine from his hands. Gaara blinked in shock as she dove in front him, swiping the magazine and rolling 007 style across the floor.

"That's not for your eyes, Gaara," Kankuro rambled as he stood up, ready to run for it if Gaara got angry. "You're too young!"

Temari leapt to her feet, clutching the magazine to her chest as her cheeks paled, the realization of what she did hitting her.

_I'm dead…_she thought numbly. _Gaara's going to Desert Coffin me any second now…_

But for some reason, Gaara didn't react in the violent and spontaneous way they imagined. Instead, he just gave Temari a look of annoyance and bewilderment.

"Give it to me," he said, holding his hand out expectantly. "I want to see it."

Temari shook her head wildly, backing up as Kankuro watched in absolute terror and shock.

"I won't!" She cried dramatically. "I won't let this _smut _ruin your innocence, Gaara!"

"What the fu…" Kankuro started, his eyes nearly bulging out of his head. "_Innocence_! Temari, he's killed more people than you, me, and Master Baki put together!"

Gaara slowly stood up, eyes narrowing in anger at Temari's defiance.

"Give it to me, or I'll kill you," he said flatly.

"No!" Temari wailed, pushing herself against the wall. "You may be a deranged psychopath, but I'd rather you be that than a _perverted _deranged psychopath!"

Gaara cocked his head to the side, his angry look fading slightly.

"Perverted?"

"Give it to him, Temari," Kankuro whispered in concern. "If you die, who's gonna cook for us?"

"Shut up!" Temari hissed at him, before turning her gaze back to the bemused Gaara.

"Y-Yeah…" she stammered. "I don't want you to grow up to be perverted because…because…"

"What's perverted?" Gaara interjected.

"Perverted…they're, uh, they're people who look at these magazines!" Temari said with a grimace as she raised the magazine slightly. "They're dirty-minded people…

"Like Kankuro," she added as an afterthought.

"Hey!"

"Shut up, Kankuro," Gaara said, glaring balefully at his brother. "I want to hear Temari."

Gaara turned his gaze back to her, and then looked at the magazine curiously. He took a step forward, extending his hand again.

"I want to see it."

Temari slowly shook her head, paling considerably as she imagined her impending death.

"I won't let you," she whispered forcefully, trying not to cower as Gaara glared at her insolence. "I'd rather _die_ than let you lose your virtue over this garbage."

Gaara blinked in surprise and Kankuro gaped at her in shock.

"But you'd never do that for me!" Kankuro gasped in indignation.

"Shut up, Kankuro," they both snarled at the same time.

Gaara looked back at Temari, and decided that killing her wouldn't be worth the trouble to look at the magazine. If he did, who'd buy him his chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream?

"What's in it?" Gaara suddenly asked.

Temari's face went a pale green as she lowered her eyes to the cover. Then, a frighteningly evil look shadowed her face as she raised her head to look at Kankuro.

"Well, since this is YOUR magazine, Kankuro," Temari said between clenched teeth. "Why don't YOU tell him?"

Kankuro's eyes widened as Gaara turned to him expectantly, and he felt his mouth go dry.

"Porno…it's, uh…" he hesitated, wondering if he could explain it in a way that would repulse his brother. "There are pictures of people…and…" he felt his face go red.

_He couldn't possibly tell him what they were actually doing._

_NO WAY __IN HELL._

"They're naked."

Gaara tilted his head to the side, looking rather perplexed and disgusted; disgusted because he couldn't understand why Kankuro would _want_ to look at something like that.

"Naked," Gaara repeated, and at this point many fan girls squealed at the thought of that word coming out of Gaara's mouth.

"Yeah," Kankuro said uncomfortably, as Temari death glared at him. "Naked."

Gaara frowned.

"That's stupid."

"Yes it is!" Temari said, a little hysterically as she waved the magazine around. "It's TOTALLY stupid! So I'm going to…" she grabbed the cover.

"…destroy this…"

She tore it to shreds.

"…piece of filth!"

She incinerated it with a Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu which she had randomly picked up somewhere.

"…there," she sighed in relief, dusting her hands off. "No more porno."

Kankuro looked sadly at the dusty remains of his entertainment.

Gaara still looked perplexed, but more so disgusted.

"You're pathetic, Kankuro," he said coldly. He made a face similar to the one he made when he told Temari she smelled in the last chapter.

"Porno," he said, expressionless. "I don't like it. It's gross."

"Oh!" Temari gasped in joy as Kankuro hung his head, and she had to forcefully control herself to keep from hugging Gaara.

She was so happy.

Gaara's mind would retain its virgin like chastity after all.

"Well," Temari said breathlessly, looking relieved. "Now that THAT'S over, we can get back to playing some games!" At this point she glared at Kankuro.

"I'll deal with YOU later…" she whispered with a dangerous glower.

Kankuro gulped as she sat down in front of the table, next to him as Gaara sat at the opposite end of the table by himself. He looked down at the pile of games, and picked up a rectangular box.

"What's this?"

"Jenga," Temari replied as Gaara spilled the wooden blocks out onto the table. "We first stack them, and then take out blocks and place them at the top. Whoever topples it, well, I guess they're the loser."

Gaara stared at her.

"And?"

"And…" Temari said hesitantly, wondering if Gaara even knew the meaning of fun. "That's it."

"It's not as easy as it looks," Kankuro added, grumpily. "It tests your stealth skills."

Gaara looked slightly interested now, and leaned towards the tower of blocks Temari constructed.

He pushed out a block from somewhere in the middle, and placed it on top, giving Kankuro a questioning glance.

"Yeah," Kankuro nodded, leaning forward since it was his turn. "But it's gonna get harder." He pushed out a piece from somewhere above the hole and placed it next to Gaara's piece.

They continued like this for approximately 14 minutes, and then it got tense.

"Uh…" Kankuro mumbled as he looked at the haphazard pile of blocks. "Maybe this one…"

"No," Temari said, shaking her head. "Up higher."

"Higher will topple it."

"But the base is the support."

"But-"

"Shut up," Gaara interjected, and they fell silent. "From the middle."

Kankuro complied and carefully pulled a side piece from the middle, inhaling sharply when the tower shook slightly. He placed it carefully at the top, sighing in relief.

"Hah, your turn, Temari."

Up until now, Gaara had been doing very well and hadn't hesitated, whereas Temari and Kankuro were pretty well-matched in hesitation and making the tower wobble. Refusing to lose to Kankuro, Temari concentrated hard.

Biting her lip, Temari gingerly pushed at a block from the top, eyes widening when the tower shook slightly. It seemed like an eternity before she got the damn thing out. When she did, she quickly added it to the top and let out a deep breath.

"Your turn, Gaara."

Now that the game was getting difficult, Gaara seemed to be getting more interested. Even he couldn't help but hesitate as he examined the tower, which was now twice the size of the original.

Gaara's eyes wandered the pile of blocks, and then the slightest and most subtle hints of a triumphant smirk lit his face. Daringly, he pulled out a side piece from high up on the tower, and Kankuro and Temari watched in awe as he placed it at the top, all without a single wobble.

"You're good at this, Gaara," Kankuro mumbled as all the pressure fell on him.

"You're gonna drop it," Temari said nervously as he poked experimentally at the blocks.

"No I won't," he drawled, suddenly poking out a piece which slid out smoothly, much to Temari's astonishment. "That's your job."

He added it to the top with a flourish and sneered at his sister, praying for her comeuppance for destroying his precious magazine. "Your turn."

Temari glared at him and then turned her gaze to the unsound bit of architecture in front of her.

_I'm gonna drop it…_she thought, flinching at the thought of losing to Kankuro. _Damn, what do I do…?_

Meanwhile, Kankuro was enjoying himself immensely, as his sister struggled and his brother looked on in interest. And wouldn't you know it? Kankuro's been the underdog for the whole fic, so why stop now?

The games were old, and as a result of this, they had acquired a thick layer of an allergy provoking phenomenon know as…

DUST.

It happened just as Temari reached for a piece, her hand trembling.

Kankuro sneezed, so violently and suddenly that his head collided with the table, sending the wooden blocks toppling moments before Temari's fingers touched it.

"Aaahhh!" Kankuro yelled in pain as his head hit the table, only to be pelted mercilessly by the raining Jenga blocks.

Temari started laughing.

Gaara looked annoyed, and the TINIEST, _SMALLEST _bit amused.

And Kankuro cried.

Well, not really, he just swore a lot in pain.

"That was fun, wasn't it Kankuro?" Temari sneered, as her brother nursed his aching head. "Let's play another game."

Kankuro raised his head, giving her an icy look. "I won't lose to you, Temari."

Temari returned the look, narrowing her eyes. "We'll see about that."

Kankuro bared his teeth. "Yes, we will."

Temari clenched her fist. "Right now."

Gaara glared. "Shut up."

They both fell silent.

"What's this?" Kankuro said in disinterest, raising a box of brightly coloured cards.

"Let me see that," Temari said, taking it from him and reading the writing on the box.

"Yu-Gi-Oh…" she said slowly. "Kaiba's deck." She looked up in bewilderment.

"What the hell is that?"

"Who cares?" Kankuro said, tossing it behind him. "Some lame card game."

"How about we play Monopoly?" Temari proposed, raising the box.

"Sure," Kankuro said, indifferently.

"…" Gaara stared, then said. "I want the Iron."

"Top Hat," Temari called.

"Race Car," Kankuro dibbed.

Kankuro rolled a six. He moved his little Race Car around the board, stopping at a 'Chance' square.

So far, they were an hour into game. Gaara, for some reason, was the richest, Temari was second, and since Kankuro is the underdog in this fic, he was last.

"This is it," Kankuro mumbled under his breath as he lifted the card. "Please be something good."

He raised the card to his eyes and blanched.

"Go to Jail, do not collect $200.00."

Temari cracked up and Gaara gave him a contemptuous look.

"I hate this game!" Kankuro said, angrily dropping his Race Car on the Jail square. "Let's play something else."

"No," Gaara said, rolling the dice and moving his Iron to a "Community Chest" square. "We keep playing until I say stop."

He picked up a Community Chest card and read blankly, though there was a hint of smugness in the way he said the words.

"You won the lottery. Collect $100.00."

Kankuro muttered under his breath as Temari handed Gaara the paper money, because he can't help but be a sore loser. Looking at the board, he grimaced when he saw that Gaara had fifteen little houses spread around the board.

Temari: 9

Kankuro: 4

"Dammit," he mumbled as Temari handed him the dice, moving her Top Hat to the GO Square and collecting $200.00. He tried not to look too affected as he handed Temari $50 to get out of jail.

…but he died a little inside when he did.

"Come on," Kankuro muttered, shaking the dice in his fist as he looked down at the board with a glare. "Give me something good!"

He let the dice fly, and Temari and Gaara both leaned forward as the dice landed to give Kankuro a total of nine. Three pairs of eyes watched the little Race Car make its way down the squares, only to land on…

"Boardwalk," Gaara said, looking at the four houses he had purchased there.

"You owe me…$700.00."

"Noo!" Kankuro yelled, as Temari took $700 from his pile, leaving him with a measly $75.00. "I _hate_ this game!"

Gaara leaned back, looking bored. "I don't want to play this game anymore."

Temari looked surprised, but said nothing because she didn't dare question Gaara. Except for when it came to porn, of course.

"Okay…" she said, sifting through the pile of games. "What about…Hungry Hungry Hippos?"

Gaara tilted his head to the side slightly, narrowing his eyes at the wacky, dancing, colourful hippos on the cover. Temari pulled out the plastic thing the hippos were set on, and put it down on the table.

"No," Gaara said, glaring malevolently at the hippos.

They looked too happy and indulgent, and what was that? The object of the game was to _feed_ the obese animals? Oh, oh no, not if Gaara could help it.

Kankuro leaned forward and hit the black handle with his palm, only to have the cheap thing snap off in his hand.

"Bah!" He cried, throwing it over his shoulder in frustration. "I hate that game too."

Temari sighed, blowing some blonde strands out of her face as she looked through the pile again, pulling out a red box.

"How about Scrabble?"

Kankuro shrugged, and Gaara just stared, so Temari set it up.

Gaara, of course, had to go first because he was the quack in the family. Glancing at his letters, he picked up five of them and placed them on the board.

D…E…A…T…H

Kankuro and Temari exchanged uneasy glances.

"Um, my turn…" Temari said, going second because she was the oldest. She picked up four, connecting them to Gaara's A.

A…P…P…L…E

Kankuro snickered, just to piss her off. He looked down and picked up four as well, going last because he's the underdog.

P…O…R…

He never finished putting down the rest because Temari turned a furious red colour, bonking him violently on the head.

"You pervert," she seethed, as Kankuro grimaced in pain. "Is that all you think about?"

Without saying anything, Kankuro placed down the last two letters.

P…O…R…T…S

Temari turned red again, but this time out of embarrassment.

"Oops."

"Oops is right," Kankuro grumbled, as he gestured to Gaara. "Your turn."

Gaara picked up three letters.

R…E…A…P

Temari and Kankuro shivered simultaneously.

Temari looked down at her letters, making a face as she picked up a measly N.

N…O

"That's sad," Kankuro said, ignoring Temari's dirty look. "Now this is a game that I'll win at. At least I read, Temari. I have an advanced vocabulary."

"Oh…" Temari said in a fake, innocent tone. "I didn't know PORN counted as reading material."

"Ha," Kankuro faked a laugh. "You wouldn't know that, would you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means what it sounds like."

"Why you—"

"Shut up," Gaara said.

They both fell silent again.

Kankuro snorted and looked down at his pieces, narrowing his eyes when he saw the weird letters he had. Glancing back and forth between his pieces and the board, he finally put some pieces down.

Q…O…R…K

"What the hell is that?" Temari cried. "That isn't even a word."

Kankuro glared defiantly. "Sure it is. Qork. The thing you put on a bottle. The special kind."

"You idiot, that's CORK. With a C," Temari snapped, looking at him in contempt. "And besides, any word with a Q is always followed by a U."

"No it isn't," Kankuro said, refusing to believe her.

Temari smirked. "Okay then, think of a word that isn't."

"Oh yeah? Let's see…uh, queen? No, um, quail? Shit, I mean…toque? Dammit!"

"Exactly. My turn."

Just as Temari was about to pick up her letters, Gaara gave her a look.

"I don't want to play this anymore."

Temari blinked. "Oh…but there aren't any more board games left."

Gaara looked down at the table, noticing a brightly coloured box. He picked it up, narrowing his eyes in bewilderment at the people on the box, who were twisted in rather awkward and weird positions.

"Twister?" Kankuro read off the box, unable to keep in his laughter. "That game is practically soft porn! It's just an excuse for guys to touch a girl's…" he trailed off as Temari gave him her infamous glare.

Gaara was getting a headache just looking at the box.

The teens were wearing such odd clothing, and they were on top of each other, all grinning…all happy…ugh…

"Burn it," Gaara said, throwing it so suddenly to Temari that she spontaneously obeyed and incinerated it like Kankuro's magazine.

"That was odd," Kankuro said, a bit frightened as Gaara's slightly insane look disappeared again.

"Well, that's all the board games," Temari said with a sigh, glancing at the clock. "And it's only 4:00 AM."

There was an uncomfortable silence in which they just stared at each other. Temari, of course, broke the silence because she's the compromising one.

"Well," she said hesitantly, wincing as if she was about to say something taboo.

"Why don't we…just play a hand game?"

"Huh?" Kankuro choked on his own saliva, turning to stare at Temari incredulously.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No," Temari said, even more hesitantly. "We don't have anything else to do…"

Gaara was curious, even though he didn't show it.

"How do you do that?"

Temari smiled affectionately at her baby brother, and glared at Kankuro.

"Well, the only one I can think of where all three of us can play is…Stella Ella Ola," she said, as Kankuro made a face of disgust and Gaara just sat there like a rock.

"We have to sit in a circle," Temari instructed, moving the table out of the way, noticing with a sigh that Gaara and Kankuro hadn't moved. Yanking Kankuro by the arm, she had no choice but to move closer to Gaara.

They sat in a closely knit circle, legs crossed, and at this point the author is fainting from fluff potential.

Kankuro was shivering in spite of himself. He never got this close to Gaara without having good reason to, and this definitely wasn't one of them. But then, amazingly, the underdog recalled Temari's words in the kitchen.

_You know you love him._

"Meh…" Kankuro mumbled to himself as he glanced at his brother. "He's not that bad…but I'll never actually admit that I do, uh…_you know_…" He started laughing nervously to himself, and Temari glanced at him in slight concern.

"Kankuro," she said, to grab his attention.

He blinked. "Wha?"

"You're talking to yourself," she said slowly.

"…so?"

Temari sighed. If she could have it her way, she'd prefer that Gaara be the only quack in the family.

"Anyway," she said, nodding to her brothers. "The game goes like this. I sing the song, and as the song ends, we count to ten. Our hands will be on top of each others as we go around, like this."

Temari demonstrated by grabbing Kankuro's hand and putting it palm up, so she could rest hers on it.

"We go around, slapping each others hands until we count to ten. The person who says ten has to slap the hand of their neighbour, and not miss, because the neighbour will be trying to dodge. If you miss, you're out. If you don't, the neighbour's out."

Kankuro made a face.

"That's gay."

Temari reacted by slapping him, then resumed explaining the rules.

"The last two people face off, and that determines the winner. Everyone get that?" She said, emphasizing _everyone_ as she glanced at Kankuro.

"Yeah," he said flatly.

Gaara nodded.

"Can I say something?" Kankuro said all too innocently.

Temari looked suspicious. "What?"

"Since when did you get so…familyish?"

Temari flushed. "I didn't just _get _familyish. I was always like this."

Kankuro frowned. "Then why didn't you ever do this before?"

Temari said nothing, mostly because she was too surprised.

"Why do you care?" She blurted.

Kankuro flushed this time. "I don't…"

"Then why did you ask?"

"I dunno…"

"Answer me, Kankuro."

"Forget it."

"Come on!"

"I said forget it!"

Gaara watched all this in silence, and despite being the inherent loner that he is, he couldn't help but feel left out.

"Shut up," he said. "Or I'll kill you both."

They fell silent.

"Let's just play," Temari suggested, and they agreed.

Now that they had their hands palm up and were actually in CONTACT with each other, Temari began the song, reaching over with her right hand to gently slap Gaara's hand, who in turn slapped Kankuro's hand, etc…

_"Stella Ella Ola, clap clap clap_

_Say yes, chicko chicko, chicko chicko chak chak_

_Yes, chicko chicko_

_Fallo, fallo, fallo fallo fallo_

She started counting.

_So 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9…"_

Kankuro, bless him, was so intent on looking bored with the game (even though he was enjoying it) that he didn't even realize that Temari said 10 and Gaara slapped his hand.

"Ha ha," Temari laughed. "You're out, Kankuro."

"Wha?" Kankuro blinked. "Wait, what happened?"

"Temari said 10," Gaara said blankly.

"Oh…" Kankuro said, forgetting to pretend that he was relieved to be out. "But I wasn't paying attention!"

"Aw," Temari cooed, much to Kankuro's chagrin. "You liked the game? We'll play it again right after Gaara and I play."

"Whatever," Kankuro said, moving out of the circle as Temari turned to face Gaara.

Temari was feeling quite contented at this moment, even though Gaara was going to win the game. She was pleased that they were spending this family time together, even though it was at an unholy hour and Gaara had threatened her and Kankuro about five times.

She wasn't even feeling that frightened as she fully faced Gaara and put her hands against his.

They were playing hand games, for God's sake. Even Shukaku couldn't breach such a happy, innocent thing as a hand game.

"This time," Temari said, a little nervously as Gaara stared at her with those _eyes_ at such close proximity. "It's just you and me, Gaara."

"Yes," he nodded, and Temari gulped before she started the song again, with Kankuro watching anxiously from behind.

_"Stella Ella Ola, clap clap clap_

_Say yes, chicko chicko, chicko chicko chak chak_

_Yes, chicko chicko_

_Fallo, fallo, fallo fallo fallo_

She started counting, and noticed with an amazed smile that Gaara was counting as well.

_So 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9…"_

Using her mad Ninja skills and advantageous experience, Temari quickly slapped her hand down at 10. Kankuro looked astounded and horrified, Gaara blinked, and Temari felt the colour drain from her face.

Her hand made contact.

She won.

…_shit._

Temari made a strangled sort of noise in her throat as Gaara blinked in surprise, and Kankuro gasped from behind.

"You beat me," Gaara said, and Temari just nodded dumbly in response.

Gaara tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Let's play again."

Temari's jaw would have hit the floor, but it didn't because that's PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE.

"W-What?" She stammered.

"Let's play again," Gaara repeated, then he looked at Kankuro. "Come here."

Kankuro scrambled towards them, looking extremely relieved and a bit pleased at the same time. For the first time that night, Kankuro stopped being the underdog and actually joined in on the hand game, playing until they all couldn't feel their hands anymore.

By the time they finished, both Kankuro and Gaara knew the song by heart. And there was nothing weirder, Temari had to admit, than hearing Gaara and Kankuro sing a song that didn't make any sense.

Especially in Gaara's monotone.

Temari was so pleased with this turn of events that she dug out a secret stash of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. She had hidden it under a bag of 8-year-old ground beef, where not even Gaara would have thought of looking.

They sat on the sofa, contentedly eating the ice cream, her in the middle and Kankuro and Gaara on either side.

"This was fun," Temari mumbled through the ice cream, to no one in particular. "Wasn't it, Kankuro?"

He grunted in response.

"…don't think I forgot about the porn magazine."

He grunted again, but with less vigor.

"…thanks, Kankuro."

The puppet master blinked in surprise.

"For what?"

"…nothing."

"Heh heh…sounds like you're not angry anymore… but really, for what?"

"Never mind."

"Tell me, Temari. We have a special brother sister bond thing going here, don't ruin it!"

Snort. "Are you for real?"

"Don't be like that!"

"Like what?"

"See Gaara, this is the problem with girls. They're messed up."

"Hey, Gaara likes me better than you."

"Of course he doesn't. Brothers cope better with brothers."

"That's not true."

"Yeah, it is."

Huff. "Ask him what he thinks!"

"Hey Gaara, who do you like better?"

"…"

"Ha, see Kankuro? He loves us both, that's why he won't answer."

"Pfft. Yeah right…"

2 seconds later…

"…is that true Gaara?"

.

.

.

"…shut up."


End file.
